5. Proposal Review and Submission

Introduction

Once a proposal is completed, it must go through an internal approval
process prior to submission to the external funding agency. This is to
ensure that all of the sponsor’s requirements have been met, and that
the proposal complies with all applicable regulations – both internal
and external. Additionally, depending on the nature of your proposal, other
approval processes may be necessary. This section highlights what has to
happen for proposals to be submitted at Morehead State University, who
has responsibility for various approvals, and what is being approved
when reviews of proposals and signatures are provided.

In order to ensure adequate time for review, notification of
corrections that need to be made and institutional approvals, all
proposals must be submitted to ORSP in final form at least five business
days prior to the designated deadline. This deadline applies to all
proposals, but it is particularly important for those proposals that are
being submitted through the mail, due to the additional time needed to
ensure the proposal meets the agency’s deadline.

Once proposals have been submitted to ORSP in their final form, ORSP
staff will generate standard forms that must be signed by the PI/Project
Director and their supervisors. The two standard forms are:

Internal Review and Approval for External Proposal

This form summarizes the proposal, lists all collaborators and
budget information. The form is to be signed by the PI, all Co-PIs and
their respective chair, dean or unit administrator as indicated on the
form.

Investigator Financial Disclosure Form

Morehead State requires investigators on proposal to all external
agencies to disclose prior to submittal of the proposal, any significant
financial interest (including those of spouse and dependent children)
which would reasonably appear to affect the project.

Once these forms have been signed by all parties and returned to
ORSP, they are officially filed along with a copy of the proposal,
budget, and any other pertinent documents relating to the project.

In addition to the approvals described above, investigators must
obtain other special approvals for their research. Some of these
requirements apply to all research projects. Others apply only to
particular types of research. These approvals are summarized below, with
links to Web sites where more detailed information can be obtained.

The term “human subjects” includes not only individuals who
participate in research studies, but also other living persons from or
about whom information is collected and whom the investigator can
identify individually. Most research involving the use of human subjects
requires advance review and approval by Morehead State University’s
Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects (IRB).

Whenever a researcher affiliated with the University engages in a
project that involves human subjects, MSU must guarantee that the
researcher will comply with federal policies safeguarding human subjects
of research. This is true whether the research is supported by federal
funds or not, or whether the research is conducted at MSU or not.

If a sponsored project requires the use of human subjects, or tissue
or other human material that may be identifiable, the PI must confer
with the Research Integrity and Compliance Director to determine whether
review and approval are required. Most agencies now allow proposals to
be submitted with IRB review “pending,” but some will not make a funding
decision until IRB approval is granted, and neither the sponsor nor the
University will allow research involving human subjects to proceed
without IRB approval or certification of exemption.

For additional information about the IRB approval process, or visit the IRB Web site here.

Whenever a researcher affiliated with Morehead State University
engages in a project that involves animal subjects, MSU must guarantee
that the researcher will comply with federal policies or guidelines,
which affect the use of animals in research, teaching, and testing.
This is true whether the research is supported by federal funds or not.

If a project requires the use of vertebrate animals, approval must be
obtained from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).
Most funding agencies will accept evidence that IACUC review is pending.
However, research that involves animals may not proceed (and animals
may not be ordered from a supplier) until the IACUC has approved the
protocol.

For additional information about the IACUC approval process, or visit the IACUC Web site here.

Research and Sponsored Programs Calendar

Wednesday Mar, 04, 2015

Research News

Morehead State University's 21st Century Education Enterprise has been awarded a $149,999 grant from the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education's Improving Educator Quality program for its project titled "Engineering Authentic
Experiences in the Next Generation Science Classroom.” Click here for more information.

Dr. Alison Hruby, Assistant Professor of English, has been awarded a $2,000 grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. Her project, titled "The effects of frequent reading on the reading comprehension abilities of tenth grade struggling readers in rural Kentucky," aims to improve the reading comprehension of tenth grade students placed in a remedial English class by increasing the students' reading time by at least 100 minutes per week. The outcome of the project will be measured using the students' reading scores on the Spring 2015 Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) test. For more information about the project, please contact Dr. Hruby at 606-783-2732 or via e-mail.

The National Institutes of Health has renewed the Kentucky IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (KBRIN) Program. Headed by the University of Louisville, KBRIN aims to develop a network of support, infrastructure and capacity for biomedical researchers and educators within the Commonwealth. The total award to Morehead State University totals $463,845, which includes neuroscience laboratory renovations in Reed Hall. For additional information, please contact Dr. Bruce Mattingly, KBRIN Program Coordinator, at 606-783-2544 or via e-mail.

Dr. Kurt Gibbs, Assistant Professor of Biology, has received a $319,346 award from the National Institutes of Health Academic Research Enhancement Awards (AREA) program. Dr. Gibbs' proposal, titled "miRNA expression after spinal cord compression injury in Xenopus laevis," aims to determine how developmental changes in microRNA expression affect the ability of Xenopus frogs to regenerate their spinal cords, which in turn can increase understanding of the genetic regulation associated with recovery from spinal cord injury and generate new therapeutic targets to promote recovery in humans. For additional information, please contact Dr. Gibbs at 606-783-2932 or via e-mail.

Early Child, Elementary and Special Education Professor Edna Schack has been awarded more than $154,000 from the National Science Foundation's Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) program for a collaborative project focused on developing prospective teachers' professional noticing skills with respect to children's mathematical thinking. The three-year project, titled "Collaborative Research: TECHNO: TECHnology-Centered Mathematical NOticing," is a collaboration with Dr. Jonathan Thomas (Northern Kentucky University), Dr. Molly Fisher (University of Kentucky), and Dr. Cindy Jong (University of Kentucky). The project builds upon previous work by further developing previously successful materials, and includes a new focus on early algebraic thought. For additional information, please contact Dr. Schack at 606-783-2501 or via e-mail.

The Appalachian Regional Commission has awarded MSU a $500,000 grant to continue the Appalachian Rural Dental Educational Program, an initiative started in 2011 with the University of Kentucky and the University of Pikeville to increase the number of practicing dentists in Appalachia, and provide a campus-based oral health awareness program. For more information, click here to view the official news release.